'Franny K. Stein' is Heading to the Big Screen

We just got to see Nancy Drew on the big screen, so why not bring out some more novellic girl wonders? The next special chica to make cinema waves -- Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist. East of Doheny and the Gotham Group are scheming up an animated film that will delve into the children's series written by Jim Benton. Not only that, but it looks like it will be part of a series, as Variety has said that this is a "first installment." The series of books has six volumes already, with the seventh gearing up for a release next year. The first book, Lunch Walks Among Us, is about the young mad scientist and how she has trouble making friends at her new school. Naturally, she starts "experimenting" with fitting in, and is successful "until a monster erupts from the trashcan."

Producer Kelly Gonda says: "We were immediately attracted to Franny's hilarious, quirky girl mad scientist and the stories' positive themes. Franny's stories are essentially about being yourself and maintaining your individuality in a world that pushes for conformity." Of course, I agree, but that leads me to the big question: Is animation the right way to go? If you want to show little girls how to be themselves, shouldn't it be by showing real, breathing, unique girls on the screen, and not an ultra-funky drawings that can be excused as just animation? While it's not bad to do this, I can't help but wonder how much better it would be to have a cool, real kid with purple hair, devilish eyes and a mad scientist grin doing experiments on the screen. If we want kids to feel comfortable in their individuality, we have to show them that cool, unique girls are more than just cartoons.